‘I couldn’t stop smiling’: B.C. woman finds whales on treasure hunt for joy

Adam meets a woman who’s spent the past 15 years on a ‘treasure hunt’ to find moments of joy inspired by wild animals.

Although she has no map to point her in the right direction, no X to mark the spot, Norene Leroux is on a hunt.

“You never know what you’re going to find,” Norene smiles, as she carries her camera and a pair of binoculars down to the beach. “It’s like searching for treasure.”

But instead of gold or jewels or long-lost artifacts, Norene is searching for something intangible, something different than the demands of daily life.

“It can get a little dogged,” Norene says. “It can really bring you down.”

So, Norene started searching for something to bring her up, which began by simply looking all around her.

“Focus on the little things,” she smiles.

Like when she began today’s hunt, she noticed a bunch of butterflies on the path.

“And I thought, ‘Oh! Those are pretty!’” Norene says. “I need to take a picture of that.”

So, she focused on the butterflies, before capturing one of the creatures with her camera.

“When you go and see wildlife unexpectedly, that’s a surprise,” Noreen says. “And that’s a really joyful moment.”

While Norene has amassed countless moments like these over the past 15 years of hunting for joy, nothing could compare to the bounty she began finding along the beach.

“They came so close to shore, it just made my whole day,” Norene beams, before showing dozens of photos of whales. “I couldn’t stop smiling.”

You don’t need to dive down in search of sunken treasure when a whale will burst from the depths to bequeath you with a wealth of wonder.

“It’s almost like a rush of endorphins when you get a close interaction with them,” Noreen says. “It just brings complete joy and happiness to me.”

But instead of burying it in a chest, Norene shares her treasure, by being more joyful every day.

“You need to slow down sometimes, even when you feel like you can’t,” Norene says. “The slowing down really does rejuvenate you.”

And, it turns out, enriches you in ways that are priceless.